A BOOK REVIEW OF THE FORGOTTEN RECIPE BY AMY CLIPSTON

The Forgotten Recipe (Zondervan) by Amy Clipston begins a new series called Amish Heirloom.  Oh readers, this is a delicious novel.  I was entranced by the writing and characters from page one until the end.  The epilogue is not to be missed!  Amy’s writing is so exquisite, she is able to create characters that leap off the pages and become fast friends with you.

The story begins with Amish maedel, Veronica Fisher, losing her fiancé Seth in a terrible workplace accident.  Veronica is beside herself with grief and deep sadness for the loss of the life she had thought she would have with her long time love, Seth.  Veronica finds an old recipe in the attic for raspberry pie and begins a home based business selling these delicious raspberry pies.

Meanwhile, Jason Huyard is also suffering from the loss of Seth.  Jason was Seth’s best friend at work and should have been with Seth when he fell at work.  Jason is haunted by the memories he has of Seth and their conversations.  Quite unexpectedly, Jason finds Veronica’s pie stand and falls head over heels in love with her.  But his love is tainted by his inability to tell Veronica that he knows and grieves for Seth too.  But how can a relationship survive when it is built on a secret?

The author’s strong writing style and characterizations drive this novel to new heights of excellence in the Amish genre.  Readers will love getting to know Jason, his basic decency, and all his all too human failings.  His parents and younger brother Stephen are likewise very relatable.  Another plus are the numerous delightful food descriptions of pies, cookies, and cakes.  By the end of this book, you too will be craving a slice or maybe even the whole sweet raspberry pie.

This first book in the new Amish Heirloom series sets up volume two.  There seems to be a thread woven throughout The Forgotten Recipe that will lead to the next installment, The Courtship Basket which should be out summer of 2016.  After reading The Forgotten Recipe, I can’t wait for Amy Clipston’s next book.  She is, without a doubt, one of the top quality authors of Amish romance and fiction.  The Forgotten Recipe will be published December 8, 2015.